Nov 4, 2021
Gloria Petroff-Eve Miller "Arctic fury" 1949, de Norman Dawn, Fred R. Feitshans Jr.
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Norway
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Hong Kong SAR China
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Sweden
seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from Egypt
seen from Türkiye
seen from China
seen from United States
Gloria Petroff-Eve Miller "Arctic fury" 1949, de Norman Dawn, Fred R. Feitshans Jr.
For the Term of his Natural Life 1927
For the Term of his Natural Life 1927
A man wrongfully accused(Arthur McLaglen) of a murder he did not commit is sent to a harsh Australian prison colony were he attempts to escape. Director: Norman Dawn Screenplay: Norman Dawn Story by: Marcus Clarke Production company: Australasian Films Cast: Eva Novak, Arthur McLaglen. Dunstan Webb, Arthur Tauchert
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For The Term Of His Natural Life - Norman Dawn (1929)
Been watching For The Term Of His Natural Life (1929) by Norman Dawn searching for some of his matte painting.
Epic: The Making of For The Term of His Natural Life (1927)
The long-unseen documentary Epic, about the making and 1981 restoration of the Australian film For The Term of His Natural Life (1927) has recently been uploaded to YouTube by the Australian National Film and Sound Archive. While very much a product of its time, it is still an invaluable document - probably the only ever 'Making Of' documentary about an Australian silent that incorporates many of the original actors and crew.
Unfortunately, the speakers are identified only in the credits, so here's a primer to clarify who is who:
1:43 - Dorothy Gordon - Actress and production designer, later known as 'Andrea', a well-known radio commentator.
2:36 - Graham Shirley - Film historian and archivist, who performed the restoration of For The Term of His Natural Life with reference to his interviews with director Norman Dawn, and Dawn's own annotated copy of the novel on which the film was based.
3:33 - John Hinde - Film critic.
4:41 - Herbert Hayward - The film's publicist. An extremely influential figure in his day, he was considered the best publicity man in Australia. He's standing in the still-extant State Theatre, Sydney.
6:40 - Jessica Harcourt - Actress, who played the major role of convict girl Sarah Purfoy - one of the best performances in the film, and one that more than stands up when compared to that of the more experienced Hollywood performers.
9:20 - Bill Carty (in plaid shirt) - Cinematographer who worked uncredited on the film early in his career, and became one of Australia’s leading cameramen in the sound era.
21:39 - William Trerise - Cinematographer
A few editorial comments from me:
I'd like to write a book one day about how the telling of early Australian film history was shaped by many factors - who survived to tell the tale, who they told it to, the political climate they told it in, and the role its mythology played in the Australian film revival of the early 1970s. This documentary reflects some of these tensions and influences.
The old furphy about the producers believing that they'd hired Allan Dwan but receiving the similarly-named Norman Dawn has been oft-repeated, but complete rubbish, as far as I am concerned. I have never found the smallest scrap of evidence for it other than from the mouth of Dorothy Gordon, who was frankly not very reliable on the topic of her own career, and whose recollections should be taken with a huge grain of salt.
Nevertheless, it gained traction because - as John Hinde even says in this documentary - even if it was not true, it felt as if it should be. It played into the narrative about American cultural imperialism, and the attempts of the current generation of Australian filmmakers and historians to defeat it.
For similar reasons, it became an accepted view that the Australian director Raymond Longford would undoubtedly have done a better job than the American who was hired to replace him on For The Term of His Natural Life, Norman Dawn. This view was undoubtedly influenced not only by Longford's own myth-making, but the notion of the American Goliath running slipshod over the Australian underdog. It is very enlightening to see people who were actually there providing a more balanced view.
The truth is that according to reviews of the time (which are all we have to rely on, as the films themselves are mostly lost), Longford never really made a good film after the death of his filmmaking partner Lottie Lyell in 1925, and became consumed by defending his own legacy against what he saw as an organised conspiracy against him. With the enormous financial commitment that For The Term of His Natural Life represented, Union Theatres’ selection of a director who was experienced in making low-budget films in exotic locations would have seemed a more fiscally responsible choice.
Norman Dawn was no genius, but nor was he entirely the hack he is sometimes painted. The documentary does show the visual dynamism of the production, and another of the reasons Dawn probably was hired - his innovation in special effects, which made For The Term of His Natural Life look even more expensive and elaborate than it actually was.
Of course, the great tragedy of the film is that it was made at exactly the wrong time. If there was any chance of a wide release in America, it was sunk with the coming of sound, and we will never know whether it truly represented Australia’s first major chance to break into the international film market.
The National Film and Sound Archive website also has a newsreel showing the film in production at the Union Master Pictures studio at Bondi Junction - a fascinating and rare relic of an Australian silent in the making.
One of 164 collages created by special effects pioneer Norman Dawn
Dawn was a relatively obscure yet historically significant early special effects cinematographer, inventor, artist, and motion picture director, writer, and producer. He worked with many important film pioneers including Mack Sennett, Carl Laemmle, Irving Thalberg, and Erich von Stroheim. The Dawn collection consists of 164 display cards that illustrate over 230 of the 861 special effects Dawn created in more than 80 movies.
Constructed personally from his own field notebooks and methodical records, the cards contain original oil, watercolor, pencil, and ink sketches used to sell the effects to skeptical film executives and directors; production and personal photographs; detailed camera records; film clips and frame enlargements; movie reviews, advertisements, and other trade press clippings; explanatory texts and recent sketches to illustrate his methods; and pages from an unpublished autobiography.
The entire collection is now available online.
For The Term of His Natural Life (1927, Norman Dawn) Australia
Norman Dawn's special effects cards
Dawn was a relatively obscure yet historically significant early special effects cinematographer, inventor, artist, and motion picture director, writer, and producer. He worked with many important film pioneers including Mack Sennett, Carl Laemmle, Irving Thalberg, and Erich von Stroheim. The Dawn collection consists of 164 display cards that illustrate over 230 of the 861 special effects Dawn created in more than 80 movies.
Constructed personally from his own field notebooks and methodical records, the cards contain original oil, watercolor, pencil, and ink sketches used to sell the effects to skeptical film executives and directors; production and personal photographs; detailed camera records; film clips and frame enlargements; movie reviews, advertisements, and other trade press clippings; explanatory texts and recent sketches to illustrate his methods; and pages from an unpublished autobiography.